Mandrake the Animus
by The Friendly Space Marine
Summary: Mandrake and his friends find themselves cast into the dark ages of pre-Scorching Pyrrhia when their village is destroyed by scavengers. It will take him and his friends all they have and more just to survive. But this young RainWing has a little secret of his own. He is an animus dragon. Armed with his magic, their wit and skill, this ragtag band of dragons may just pull through.
1. Chapter 1: Mandrake

**Chapter 1: Mandrake  
**

The RainWing waited-still as the branch that was his perch. His eyes meticulously scanned for movement among the trees. Where was she?

The torrential downpour that had persisted for the better part of the week had finally abated and the sun was up. Most of the other dragons were snoozing, enjoying the first 'suntime' this week but the dragonet and his friends had decided to fly in the face of conventional wisdom and play a game of hide and seek-something they'd been intending to do for a while. Downpours made it awful hard to hide even with camouflaged scales.

The dragon he was looking for, coincidentally also named Rain, was notoriously good at hiding. But he was supposed to be the best at seeking. He shouldn't be taking this long.

"Come on, Mandrake," a voice called. "Stop playing around and find her already. The rest of us want a turn!"

The dragonet, Mandrake, held back a snort of irritation. Lemur, owner of the voice, wasn't helping his confidence. Then again, seeing as how Lemur liked nothing more than heckling him, the best response was not to pay him any heed. Let him run his mouth...

Suddenly he saw movement. It took all of his self-control not to twist around and get a better look-something that would give away his position. Instead, he scanned the area out of the corner of his eye. He could barely make out the faint outline of a small RainWing lying flat against the bark of a tree.

The hazy figure reached up a claw to cover its mouth and seemed to yawn. It was definitely Rain. With him nowhere in sight, she must've decided it was safe to yawn. Remaining hidden while seeking had its benefits, Mandrake thought with a smirk.

Mandrake waited for her head to turn away from his general direction before slithering to a branch closer to Rain. He braced his legs and launched himself off the branch at the camouflaged dragonet, letting his own scales turn a bright shade of scarlet.

Rain shrieked, startled at his sudden appearance, and lost her grip on the tree. Uh oh, Mandrake thought. Not as planned. Rain plummeted, flailing, and Mandrake barely manage to catch her by the claw before she fell too far.

She managed to overcome her shock and quickly righted herself with her wings. She flew up to him squeaked, "Mandrake! You didn't have to scare me like that!" The smaller RainWing was still shrill from the fright.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it," Mandrake said plaintively, trying to keep from smiling. "It was such a good opportunity."

Lemur flew up to both of them. "You've gotten old," Lemur chuckled. "You never used to take that long. She was hiding in plain sight!"

Mandrake scowled at him. He would've just loved to smack Lemur across the muzzle. At that instance, a nearby pebble twitched almost as if in response to his stray thought. Mandrake's heart skipped a beat and he focussed on the thought of the stone staying put. It stopped twitching.

He exhaled, relieved. That had been a close call. He needed to control it. He was a perfectly-normal RainWing. And perfectly-normal RainWings didn't move rocks with their minds.

"Oh ignore him, Drake," another voice said, calling him by his nickname. "You did fine. I'd like to see Lemur do better."

"Thanks, Glimmer," Mandrake replied, turning to face the RainWing who'd nudged Lemur to one side. She was the same height as him but was of a sleeker build and had much larger wings. Had she been wearing the same crimson hue as Mandrake was, one might've mistook her for a SkyWing from the stories and tales of the elders instead of a RainWing.

They'd been friends for as long as Mandrake could remember. Of late though, he'd found himself thinking of her as more than just a friend. Her praise had made him want to do a happy tap dance right there.

His happiness turned to horror when he noticed the same pebble that had been about to throw itself at Lemur moments ago merrily hopping about-as if it was as excited as he had been.

Sit! Stay, he thought desperately. Play dead! Stop moving before somebody sees you! Please? Pretty please? The stone reluctantly obeyed his mental commands and dropped but not before one last rebellious jump. Disaster averted, Mandrake thought. I must be getting careless... That's the second time today! Not good-what if they'd seen it? What would they think of me? What would Glimmer think of me? No, I can't think of that, I've got to focus on fitting in.

These incidents had plagued him since he had been two. The first time it had happened, he had caused a mango to explode in Lemur's face. Nobody had linked it to him but his parents warned him about it when he had told them. It's something we don't understand, they'd said. Dragons don't like things they can't understand-far better not to use it.

And so, since then, Mandrake had tried to hide his unusual abilities. He had been able to do it too, to varying degrees of success. The number of incidents had dropped over the years but two in a day was an all-time new record. And not a good one. It worried him. Why was it happening again?

"So what gave it away?" Glimmer asked, interrupting his thoughts.

"She yawned," Mandrake replied, pushing his paranoid thoughts to one side. "A little too conspicuously. It was an easy matter to spot her after that."

"I was tired," Rain complained. "You can hardly blame me! I didn't sleep well."

"Nightmares again?" Glimmer asked, putting a comforting wing around Rain.

"Or did you just have too much for supper?" Lemur jibed, dodging to one side when Rain aimed a swipe at him.

"Nightmares," Rain said, gulping nervously. "It's the dark. Every time it gets dark the nightmares are there."

Mandrake couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She was the youngest of all of them. They all knew she'd get over her fear of the dark eventually-it was natural-but until then, it was one of the things that really terrified the usually-bubbly dragonet.

He decided to change the subject. "So how about another round?" he asked. "This time Lemur can hide. Let's see if he fares any better."

"You're on," Lemur said jovially, already diving into the undergrowth and disappearing.

"I'd better start counting," Glimmer said with a chuckle. "Wish me luck."

"Kick his tail," Mandrake joked as Glimmer turned away and started counting. "Come on, Rain, let's find somewhere high up to watch from."

The two of them eventually settled on a particularly large branch in the rainforest's canopy. Mandrake peered around. Where was Lemur hiding?

Glimmer was already on the hunt, speeding from point to point in an effort to locate Lemur but she didn't seem to be having much luck.

"Come on, Glim," Mandrake mumbled. "You can do it."

Suddenly, a chilling shriek tore through the forest.

"That's Lemur!" Mandrake exclaimed. He took off and beckoned to Rain. "Come on."

He closed in on the source, followed closely by Rain and Glimmer. What in Pyrrhia could've frightened Lemur that badly?

Mandrake finally reached his side. Lemur's scales were stark white-no doubt due to the shock he'd received.

"What's going on?" Mandrake asked.

Lemur raised a trembling talon. Mandrake followed the direction and felt a chill go through him as his gaze fell upon what Lemur was pointing at.

A dark brown dragon lay facedown on the rainforest floor, unmoving, his blood pooling around him and mingling with the mud and grime.

 **Author's Note:**

 **Hey guys, this is the fourth Wings of Fire fanfic I will be embarking on. I've had this idea floating around for a while now and was planning to post this sometime later but since I can't type much for the coming two weeks I decided to move this along.  
**

 **This is my first time writing a male, RainWing protagonist (and an original character at that) so please do tell me how you think I can improve. Really, I'd love any feedback-just no flaming. We're in the rainforest. Lots of flammable material XD I'm really excited about this story and look forward to being able to progress it as soon as my exams are through.**

 **Just a heads-up, a lot of things are going to be different in pre-Scorching Pyrrhia. But everything will make sense at the end of this-all loose ends will be tied up by the time it's over, that's a promise.**

 **With that, I hope you enjoyed this and see you in a couple of weeks for the next chapter!:D**


	2. Chapter 2: An Unintentional Surgery

**Chapter 2: An Unintentional Surgery  
**

A dozen thoughts rushed through Mandrake's head. Who was this dragon? What happened? Was he dead? What had killed him? 

Glimmer was the first among them to recover. She pressed a talon to the brown dragon's neck, checking for a pulse. She glanced around cautiously. 

"He's still breathing. But be careful, guys," she warned, trying to keep her voice steady. "Whatever did this may still be lurking around somewhere." 

"Let's get outta here before whatever it is comes back," blubbered Lemur, all traces of his earlier bravado gone. "I don't wanna end up like him." 

Though he didn't admit it to many, there were more than a couple of things in this world that scared Lemur. And Mandrake knew that the thoughts of blood and dying were two of those things. 

"No," Glimmer said. "We can't leave him like this. He'll bleed to death if we do." 

"I hate to admit it but Lemur has a point," Mandrake told Glimmer. "If the thing that did this comes back, four dragonets won't stand a chance. We should go back for help-at least get some of the other adults." 

"But if we leave him out here, his attacker might just come back and finish the job," Glimmer protested. "Let's at least move him somewhere safer." 

Glimmer didn't wait for an answer. She began tugging the dragon over to the clearing where they'd been playing earlier. There was no point arguing. Once Glimmer had her mind set on something, she didn't usually let go so Mandrake scampered over to help her. 

"On three?" Mandrake asked, taking hold of the mysterious brown dragon's shoulders. 

"On three," Glimmer confirmed. 

They lifted the dragon and began lugging him along. Mandrake strained under the effort. Now that his lower half was out of the mud, this guy looked like he weighed even more than the adults at their village. 

Mandrake began wondering whether he was even a RainWing in the first place. The only dragons living in the rainforest were RainWings but the dragon's mud-brown scales made him look more like one of the MudWings they'd been told about in the stories. That would make him the first MudWing they'd ever seen in real life. 

Rain forced the green in her scales down and started clearing fallen logs and other assorted debris out of their way. Only Lemur still stood there petrified. 

"Oh for three moons' sake, Lemur!" Glimmer called exasperatedly. "Get over here and help us. This dragon's heavy!" 

When Lemur made no move, she sighed. Some things just never changed. "Fine, at least go back to the village and get help." 

Lemur took off without hesitation, winging his way between trees, branches and vines and quickly disappearing into the foliage. Mandrake rolled his eyes. "Sometimes I think that guy must've been a chicken in his past life," he grunted, doing his best to carry the unconscious dragon. 

"Oh come on, even chickens have more heart than him," Glimmer replied, trying to lighten the mood. 

They were familiar with the legends of rebirth. The elders of the village used to tell them tales of how when a dragon passed on, their soul would be born into a new body. They'd spent lots of time discussing and trying to remember what their past lives could have been. 

Lemur had always boasted of having been a great and mighty and famous dragon. The others didn't bother contending-they'd all learned that arguing with Lemur was a lost cause. Besides, none of them really had the heart to deflate his ego. 

It was a quiet joke among the rest of them that he probably would've been a chicken though-not unlike the commonly-sighted forest roosters which loved to crow and squawk boisterously to impress other animals but would turn tail and run whenever any real danger, like a peckish RainWing for instance, approached. 

That had lasted until one of the elders had overheard them and, taking it upon himself to clarify their misunderstanding, had explained to them that dragons would always remain dragons throughout their lifetimes. 'It's what makes us different from common animals,' he'd said. 

Understandably, this had the unintended consequence of inflating Lemur's already big head and the rest of them dropped the subject. The old joke however refused to go quietly and be forgotten and would occasionally turn up now and then when they needed a chuckle. 

They set the dragon down in the clearing. Mandrake got a better look at the dragon. He was definitely not a RainWing-his horn structure and tail were completely different. 

"Drake, stop gawking at him. It's hard enough having to manage Lemur but you too?" Glimmer said, snapping him out of his analysis of the strange dragon. 

"Sorry," Mandrake apologised. "Mind wandered off for a bit there." 

"Well just keep it in place for the next five minutes, okay? I need you to help me stop the bleeding," Glimmer instructed him, taking charge of the situation. "Quickly gather up those leaves over there. The ones that haven't wilted yet if you can-they're less brittle." 

"Rain, keep watch while we're busy," Glimmer continued as Mandrake started gathering up leaves. "You see anything, give a shout." 

Rain nodded and took up a position on a branch above, her scales shifting until she was almost invisible against the bark of the tree. 

Mandrake quickly snatched up as many long leaves as he could. He'd seen the healers use them as bandages before when he had grazed himself. But he wasn't sure if they'd be enough to patch up the dragon's numerous gashes and lacerations. 

"Mandrake, hurry," Glimmer called after him. "He's losing blood fast!" 

Mandrake grabbed one last handful of leaves and hurried to Glimmer. "This should be enough," he said. 

"Okay, just put those down here," Glimmer said, indicating a spot with a flick of her tail. She pointed to one of his wounds. "There's something in there-maybe a claw or tooth fragment. I need you to remove it." 

Indeed, there was something strange protruding from the wound-a hard, blackened, oddly-shaped thing. It looked like it had penetrated pretty far into the dragon's flesh. The very thought made Mandrake's stomach churn uncomfortably. 

"Help me hold him down," Mandrake said. "This'll probably sting more than a little." 

He tentatively reached a claw into the wound and gripped the fragment between his talons. He gave it an experimental tug. The dragon stiffened and grunted sharply even as Glimmer tried to hold him down. Oops, Mandrake thought. Better stop fooling around. 

He gave it a firm pull and this time it came loose. It dislodged itself with a gruesome-sounding 'squelch' and Mandrake pulled the shard free of the wound. 

"What the heck?" Glimmer said, echoing his unvoiced sentiments perfectly. 

The fragment wasn't a claw. It wasn't a fang either. It was a small cylinder made of a peculiar material-it felt hard like wood or stone but had a dull brass colour. One end of it seemed filed to a point-the end that had no doubt pierced the dragon's scales. 

"What is that?" Glimmer asked, her attention momentarily distracted from the wounded dragon. 

"I have no clue," Mandrake said. His gaze fell on the dragon's raw, still-bleeding gash. He ran a claw along the ravaged flesh. It looked wrong, unnatural-the gaping wound was much larger than what the small cylinder should have been able to inflict. No dragon should ever have had to suffer something like that. 

Now, he wasn't as squeamish as Lemur at the sight of blood-he'd got himself cut too many times over the years-but the very sight made Mandrake's gut do somersaults until he felt he was going to throw up. Then, something inexplicable happened. The wound began to heal! The skin knitted itself back together and new scales grew across the surface to cover the new flesh. 

"How did you do that?" Glimmer asked incredulously. 

Mandrake opened his mouth to answer. Then he promptly closed it. He turned away quickly and violently threw up all over the forest floor, coughing and spluttering. That had been him! His thoughts had unconsciously triggered his powers and healed the dragon! And this must've been the price of the healing, he figured. 

When he finally recovered, he gasped, "It wasn't me. I-" 

"Mandrake, don't," Glimmer snapped, her eyes studying him closely as if he was some unknown, possibly dangerous thing-not a friend she had known since childhood. Great, he thought. She hates me. "I've grown up with you for too long to not know when you're lying. That was you. You touched it and it healed just like that. It couldn't have been Rain because she's all the way up there and it sure wasn't me. What are you-" 

She was cut off by Rain. The dragonet shouted, "Guys! There's something coming this way!" 

Glimmer wheeled around. The bushes and plants were trembling-something was pushing them out of the way and stomping towards them. 

Mandrake tried to get to his feet but his limbs felt like lead. He could barely even stand. Suddenly, another brown dragon burst into the clearing. She skidded to a halt when she caught sight of the dragonets and the unconscious dragon. 

"RainWings," she breathed, as if she couldn't believe her eyes. "Thank the moons I found you. I need your help. Reed-the dragon over there-he was wounded by scavengers. Is there a village nearby? He needs medical attention immediately." 

Glimmer relaxed-it was just another dragon. "Yeah, we found your friend just now. We've already sent our friend ahead to get help from the village. You're a MudWing aren't you?" 

"Yeah," the MudWing replied. "The name's Brook." 

"Glimmer," she replied. "That's Mandrake." 

"Is he okay?" Brook asked. "He looks a little pale." 

Pale, as it turned out, was a bit of an understatement. Mandrake was barely still conscious now. Fatigue had caused the colour to drain from his scales. He had no idea why he was so exhausted. He felt as though he'd flown around the rainforest five times. Finally, his body couldn't take the strain anymore and he collapsed. Darkness encroached on his vision and he saw no more. 

**Author's Note:**

**Well that certainly took a while! Anyway, I'm back from exams and I'll be working on this a fair bit now.**

**Some things about the chapter-Mandrake has unconsciously performed his first major healing-and paid the price for it XD! Guess it just goes to show that good deeds don't always pay off eh? Nah, I'm kidding-that's the price of animus magic-severe stomach cramps and nausea that may result in collapse:) But there's more to it as will be explained in the next chapter.**

**Another thing, can anybody guess what the pointed cylindrical object was? This is more a test of my descriptive skills than anything else but congrats to whoever can guess it right! Hint hint-the scavengers of this age aren't half as backward as the scavengers from the days of the dragonets of destiny.  
**

**frostflight-hey, thanks for the first review! I took your first piece of advice-longer chapters-and tried your second piece-more description-as best I could! And thanks for the offer, I'll keep it in mind!  
**

**Midnightsoul-you are clearly more of an expert in the subject of RainWings than I am. Could you PM me a list of their colours and the corresponding emotions. I think I have all of them but I just wanna be sure!:)  
**

**ebony-yeah! I hope so to! And what is your opinion thus far?  
**

**flops-Thanks for pointing that out! I'm so used to writing existing characters that I don't usually describe much. I've put up a list of character descriptions under the original characters section of my profile! Feel free to check them out!  
**

**kitty-Thanks! Hmm, let me guess... You were in Wales. Now you're in New York?**


	3. Chapter 3: Animus

**Chapter 3: Animus  
**

Mandrake stirred groggily. There was an incessant pounding in his head that just made him want to lie there and sleep it off. But he forced his eyes open a crack. 

He was no longer in the clearing-the wooden walls and roof around him said that much. He was lying on something soft-a leaf mattress-and a vine curtain hung to one side. The healers' hut. 

"You feeling okay?" a voice asked tentatively. 

Mandrake whipped around to face the source. "Glimmer?" he said. For a moment, he almost didn't believe it was her-she sounded nervous which was unusual. Mandrake made a mental note to ask her about that later. "Yeah I'm fine. But what happened back there? My head's pounding." 

"You collapsed," Glimmer told him. "Scared me half to death too. Lemur and the dragons from the village arrived after that-thank the moons there were more than a handful of them because they had to carry you plus the MudWing." 

"The MudWing," Mandrake said. "Where is he? Where are they?" 

"They're resting now," Glimmer replied. "That big one was wounded badly from what I heard. Had it not been for the little surgery you performed, he would be dead." 

"Surgery?" Mandrake asked. He considered lying but thought better of it. She'd seen him. She would know if he tried to worm his way out of this. "I'm really sorry if I scared you. I didn't mean to-" 

"Why are you apologizing? You saved a dragon's life," Glimmer said reproachfully. "No reason to be sorry about that." 

"But I thought-" 

Mandrake was cut off by one of the healers. "Shh! There are dragons trying to rest," the healer snapped in a hushed tone that somehow was still able to come across as rather loud. The healer went back to his work muttering something about how inconsiderate dragonets had become since his day. 

"Maybe we should take this elsewhere," Glimmer suggested, raising her voice a notch to spite the healer. "You good to move?" 

"Yeah," Mandrake answered, standing. "I feel loads better." 

Glimmer led him out of the healers' hut and took flight. Mandrake for the most part was just following Glimmer's lead. 

They glided and ducked between the trees and dense foliage and in spite of everything that had happened, Mandrake couldn't help but feel perfectly comfortable flying alongside Glimmer. He was almost reluctant to land when she veered off to a small cave. He recognized it-they used to sit here together and gaze at the stars. They still did now and then. 

"I thought you were frightened of me," Mandrake said, landing next to Glimmer. "That's why I apologised." 

"Frightened of you? Really?" Glimmer asked incredulously. She huffed indignantly. "Frightened for you, sure. Frightened of you? No way." 

Mandrake didn't know whether to feel relieved or slightly offended and it must've shown because Glimmer clarified her statement. 

"Hey don't take it personally. We grew up together," Glimmer said, punching him gently in the arm.

"I could never be afraid of you if I tried. You're too nice." 

"And I thought all dragons were supposed to be fearsome and dangerous?" Mandrake chuckled. "A friendly dragon. That would be something to see." 

"Well, you're unique," Glimmer said. "In more ways than one. So how long have you known?" 

"Well, ever since I made a mango blow up in Lemur's face when he was being mean once," Mandrake said. He decided he could be honest with Glimmer-she didn't seem horrified at all. 

"I didn't even realise I did it, I just got mad and it happened-fruit juice all over! My parents have been telling me to keep it controlled for the longest time. I'm afraid of what everyone will think if they find out I'm not like them. I don't even know what I am." 

"Then you've probably never seen this," Glimmer declared, excitedly extracting a scroll from the vine-woven pouch she had slung across her chest. 

"Wait, how'd you get that out of here?" Mandrake asked, not sure if he wanted to know the answer. The village's precious few scrolls were kept in a small, dry cavern under the village to keep the moss from getting to them-dubbed the Reading Cave by the dragons. 

It was guarded by one of the elders-one of the most insufferable to boot. Said elder was notorious for being a stickler for rules and had never once let a scroll out of the library. Mandrake's thoughts drifted back to his first ill-fated encounter with 'the Librarian'... 

Then again, better not think of that, he told himself hurriedly, turning his focus back to the situation at hand. 

"The way I always do it," Glimmer replied. "I asked nicely." When Mandrake gave her a surprised look, she laughed and said, "Since when do I ask nicely? I'm pulling your tail, I sneaked them out." 

"We're dead if the Librarian finds out," Mandrake warned her. 

"If she finds out," Glimmer corrected him. "Which she won't." 

"Point taken," Mandrake acknowledged. He glanced at the scroll's title- _Ballad of the Animus_. "What's an Animus?" 

"Just read it," Glimmer said. "You'll understand." 

Mandrake scanned the claw-written text. It was short and faded in some parts but he could just about make out the words. 

_'Blest by the star-lit skies,  
an animus from his egg shall arise.  
Caressed by the power of the moons,  
and forever haunted by an ancient doom._

_The power of storms and fires red,  
dominion will be his over living or dead.  
For there is nothing, no one, in all the land,  
that can resist an animus' arcane command._

_But no power, for good or for ill,  
for healing or slaying, comes of its own will,  
For each time he calls, it will take its toll,  
a price to be reaped from his immortal soul.'  
_

Mandrake looked up from the scroll. "Okay," he said skeptically, unsure of what he had just seen. "What was that about?" 

Glimmer rolled her eyes. "You really don't get it?" 

Mandrake shook his head. He had a couple of ideas but they all seemed too ludicrous to be true. 

"You're an animus, for three moons' sake!" Glimmer sighed exasperatedly. "I read this scroll when I was three. And when you healed that MudWing, it all came back to me." 

Mandrake shook his head. That had been one of the possibilities he was considering but it was still too ridiculous to believe. "That can't be true." 

"It is," Glimmer insisted. "It explains what happened. How else did you patch up that dragon's wound?" 

"Okay, fine," Mandrake conceded. "So assuming I am some kind of special magical dragon-that scroll didn't exactly sound very encouraging. Ancient doom? Price from an immortal soul? That didn't sound good." 

"That's exactly why I wanted to talk to you about it," Glimmer said. "When you collapsed I was scared that's what happened to you." 

"You're scared for me?" Mandrake asked incredulously. Today was just chock-full of surprises. 

"Of course I'm scared for you!" Glimmer said. 

Mandrake couldn't help but blush a bit-the dragoness he liked thought he couldn't take care of himself. 

Glimmer rolled her eyes again, an embarrassed shade of pink creeping across her own scales. "You just had to make me say that, didn't you? You just had to hear it from me?" she pouted. "Alright, fine, yes, I like you and I'm worried about you, you big oaf, you-" 

Mandrake cut her off mid-rant by twining his tail with her's. "Don't be," he said soothingly to her. "It'll all be fine. I'm not going anywhere." 

Glimmer leaned against him and they just sat there, enjoying each other's warmth. Mandrake's head was spinning. She cares about me. I don't believe it, Glimmer actually likes me! For the longest time, he'd only thought it had all been wishful thinking but sitting beside his best friend, everything felt so right. 

Finally he broke the silence. "I had no idea." 

"Yeah, no kidding," Glimmer complained sulkily. "Woe betide the poor, unfortunate dragoness who believes the male of her dreams will have the guts to own up first, for she will have eternity to wait." 

"Male of her dreams? I'm really sorry-I had no clue," Mandrake said with an apologetic chuckle. He wrapped his wings around her.

Glimmer tried to keep up her scowl. But she couldn't. Instead she curled up and rested her head on Mandrake's shoulder. "It's hopeless," she sighed. "I can't stay mad with you."

"Then don't," Mandrake said. "I love you too."

They were both quiet for a while.

Mandrake broke the silence. "So I guess this is our first date, huh?" 

"Hmm, I think it qualifies," Glimmer replied after a moment's consideration. Streaks of red and orange light shine through the trees-the last rays of sunset. "Just don't use your powers again unless you absolutely must. I can't live with the thought of losing you." 

"Hey, I've managed for the past few years, haven't I? Have a little faith?" Mandrake laughed. 

"Yeah, I guess. Let's just stay here-I don't feel like leaving," Glimmer said, resting her head on her claws. 

Mandrake nodded. He wasn't going to disagree. Right now there was no place he'd rather be. He put a wing around Glimmer. 

And so the two RainWings stayed there, content in each other's embrace, gazing up at the stars just as they had been doing since as long as they could remember. 

**Outside the rainforest...  
**

Two sleek, black attack helicopters hovered just on the border of the rainforest. Armed with the fastest engines, best sensors and most silent rotor blades available and with a bristling armament of autocannons, missile racks and fire-bombs, these were the finest combat aircraft human engineering had to offer. 

"Squadron leader, should we check in on the ground team?" one of the pilots asked. 

"Way ahead of you," the leader replied from his cockpit, flicking on his communications array. "Ground team, do you copy?" 

"Loud and clear, sir," came the static-laced response. "We have a visual on the MudWings. But they've moved." 

"Moved?" the leader asked incredulously. "We pumped him full of heavy-cannon shells-how the hell did he drag his sorry carcass at all?" 

"He didn't," the scout replied. The squadron leader caught his meaning immediately-there were other dragons in the rainforest. 

"Alright, good work," the leader congratulated him. "Keep eyes on target. Hunter-Killers are en route." 

**Author's Note:**

**And this is where things begin to pick up. Mandrake is an animus and it is foretold that he will be hounded by an 'ancient doom' and the scavengers have found their village. Worse, the scavengers are more advanced than ever, boasting an impressive arsenal of heavy weapons and attack copters. How will the dragons make it out of this one?**

**frostbite, Rhodi-sorry to disappoint you guys but it was a bullet-a rather large bullet(fired from a helicopter cannon) but a bullet nonetheless. My bad-my description wasn't apt enough I guess XD**

**SpicyDog, Amanda-yep. Pretty much that. And yes it's big enough to cause some serious hurt to a dragon especially since the cannon is rapid-firing.  
Chapter 25: Wings of Shadow**


	4. Chapter 4: Something is Coming

**Chapter 4: Something is Coming  
**

Screaming. Fire. Death. Horrible images flashed before Mandrake's eyes-the village burned, dragons lay dead everywhere, there was a terrible howling noise. He saw Glimmer snarling at an imposing dark shape, Rain cowering in fear behind her.

'Run!' he tried to scream. 'Go I'll hold it off!' But no words issued forth. He tried to throw himself forward at the ominous dark shape but found his talons stuck firmly to the floor. He glanced around helplessly, looking for something, anything he could do.

A burst of fire. And then Rain dropped lifelessly to the floor. Glimmer's face twisted in a grimace and she launched herself to attack the dragonet's killer.

'No! Stay back!' Mandrake tried to shout but he felt as though his head was underwater-no sound came out. Something in his gut told him that she shouldn't be anywhere near that thing.

Moments later those fears proved true as Glimmer's wings were brutally sliced to shreds by some unseen force. A blade! Horrified, Mandrake realised too late that there was some kind of blade on the thing-rotating so fast that it was virtually impossible for the eye to follow.

He could only watch helplessly as Glimmer, writhing in pain on the ground, tried her best to snarl in defiance at the thing. Another blast of fire. She slumped over, dead. Mandrake's vision began to blur. Rain... Glimmer... His friends were dead. Mandrake should've felt sorrow, grief, remorse but the only feeling that came was hate. This thing had killed them! And he hadn't done anything!

The thing turned to face him, cruel death-weapons brought to bear. Maybe I'll see them again, wherever dragons go after they die. He shut his eyes and waited for the end.

But suddenly the ground beneath him erupted and something shot out and cannoned into his would-be killer. The thing before him spun out of control, careening wildly before hurtling straight towards him in a flaming mass of wreckage and scorched scales and bone. It came within inches of him...

...Suddenly he awoke, sweating and panting hard as if he'd just finished a race with Rain through the treetops. He glanced around fearfully. To his immense relief, there was Glimmer sleeping peacefully beside him, a scroll lying discarded in a corner of the cave.

Then the events of the past night came back to him-Glimmer telling him he was an animus, them confessing their love for each other, watching the stars together. They must've fallen asleep here because it was already the afternoon of what Mandrake guessed was the next day.

And if Glimmer was okay, then that meant so was Rain. And the village. It had all been a nightmare. A very sick, realistic one but a nightmare nonetheless. But a gut feeling told him that perhaps there was more to the dream. But that didn't matter right now. None of it had happened and for hath at he was grateful.

One of Glimmer's eyes opened. "Do we have to wake up now?" she yawned. Mandrake slumped back, relieved just hearing the sound of her voice. She was really okay. None of it had happened. It was all a bad dream.

But then something caught his eye that caused his heart to skip a beat. A gleam of white. Almost like... He brushed away the undergrowth and came face to face with a dragon's skeleton. It seemed to be embedded in the wall of the cave-in a small cavity of sorts. Now that he looked closer he spotted several more small holes in the wall-each filled by remains of a dragon. He groaned in dismay as he realised they must've unknowingly spent the night in an ancient RainWing burial ground.

But that wasn't what disturbed him the most. The skeleton he'd seen-it seemed to have been reaching out with its talon. That shouldn't have been possible-there was nothing holding the skeleton's bones together, no muscle, no flesh, no scales. And then the thing's skull tilted to face him.

A jolt of horror shot through him as he came face-to-face with the grinning, eyeless skull. He scrambled back, fear causing his heart rate to skyrocket. "Go away," he croaked weakly, his voice feeling hoarse as if he had been shouting.

The skeleton halted. It nodded obligingly and folded itself back into a neat pile which came to rest once again in the hole in the wall. Now Mandrake was confused. He hadn't expected it to obey. But now that he thought of it, the tiredness in his limbs that he had felt when he woke up, the hoarseness of his throat-it all seemed familiar. He had felt all this before after he healed the MudWing. Things were beginning to add up...

"Drake, you okay?" Glimmer asked sleepily. "What time is it?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Mandrake replied shakily. His powers! The nightmare must've triggered them and somehow animated the skeleton while he was asleep. If he couldn't even control his powers while he was asleep, what other havoc would he wreak when awake? Panic began to rise in him. He could've sworn he saw the piles of bones writhe all around him, assembling themselves into distinct dragon shapes.

"Mandrake?" Glimmer asked getting up. "Time?"

He forced himself to be calm, reining in his distressed thoughts. What would Glimmer think if she saw what he did. "Stop moving," he muttered forcefully under his breath. The piles of bones immediately stopped rattling and fell still and silence rushed in to fill the void once more.

"Afternoon," Glimmer stated. "Thanks so much for telling me."

The sarcasm in her voice snapped Mandrake out of his worries. "Sorry, I felt a little nauseous just now," he lied.

"You okay to fly now?" Glimmer asked.

Mandrake nodded and replied, "Let's get back to the village before the others get worried."

"Those old foggies? Get worried about us? When all they say half the time is to get lost?" Glimmer laughed. "I don't think so."

"I actually meant Lemur and Rain," Mandrake said sheepishly.

"Oh. Well in that case you've got a point," Glimmer acknowledged. "Wouldn't want them doing anything silly while we're not around."

They walked over to the cave mouth and soon they were in the air, on the way back to the village. Mandrake opted not to tell her about the fact it was a burial ground. That would make things rather awkward.

When they arrived, they were greeted by quite a scene. Two score RainWings were gathered outside, congregating around something. It was the two MudWings! They were shouting and the village elders were shouting back.

"Whoa, what's going on here?" Glimmer asked, landing next to the elders.

"These MudWings are refusing to leave," one elder snapped.

"That's not true," the female MudWing, Brook, retorted. "Reed hasn't recovered yet! He still needs your help!"

The elder shook his head. "We've done all we could," he said. "But our crafts are no use against the weapons of the scavengers that were hunting you. Your very presence here endangers the whole tribe. What if the scavengers follow you and find our village?"

"You think the scavengers would leave you alone?" the male MudWing grunted, speaking for the first time. "You think they'll pass you by and leave your village unscathed? They're killing dragons all across Pyrrhia, they're trying to wipe us out. I've seen it. When they're done with us, the death squads will come for you too! They will burn down your rainforest and leave nothing but ashes. Then what will you do? Try to hide amid the ruins?"

The scavengers. The nebulous bogeymen that supposedly haunted the world outside the rainforest. They were the reason the elders always told them never to leave the rainforest. There are dark things, they would say. Evil things, things that would kill dragonets like you for the fun of it. They'd heard scavengers were just about the only species on Pyrrhia capable of killing a dragon but Mandrake hadn't truly believed it until now. Apparently they held control of vast swathes of territory in the land outside the forest. It was a dangerous world out there.

"They would never have found us if not for you two!" the elder shouted indignantly. "If it weren't for you Talons of Freedom antagonizing them, they wouldn't be hunting dragons down like this!"

"Talons of Freedom?" Mandrake asked. "Who are they?"

"The Talons of Freedom are a group of power-hungry dragons who decided that they wanted to rule all of Pyrrhia. And so they started a war with the humans that they're losing badly now and ordinary dragons like us are getting caught in the crossfire," the elder explained, shooting an acidic look at the MudWings. "And these two just admitted they were with that group of nutcases."

Mandrake briefly wondered how much the elder could've known so much about these Talons of Freedom especially since no RainWing had ever left the rainforest in recent memory.

"You're deluding yourself," Reed said. "The scavengers burned my village to the ground even before the Talons of Freedom were founded to oppose them. We only want peace! And liberation for dragonkind! A Pyrrhia where dragons won't have to live in fear of having their families murdered, their homes razed, their lives ended. But cowards like you refuse to see reason, instead clinging to the vain hope that they'll leave you alone if you do likewise. The scavengers are a warlike race-they won't stop until every dragon in Pyrrhia is dead."

"Get out of my sight," the elder spat with disgust. Turning to the spear-armed sentries, he instructed, "If they're seen again within a league of our village, you have my permission to use your venom. Shoot to kill. Meanwhile, double the guard! Nothing enters or leaves this rainforest without my knowledge!"

The crowd of RainWings dispersed as the MudWings limped away. Mandrake caught up with the elder. His face seemed to have aged a few decades if that was even possible. "What does this mean? Should the rest of the village evacuate?"

The elder shook his head. "There's nowhere else in the rainforest we could go. The other RainWing tribes wouldn't take well to us encroaching on their territory. All we can do now is pray."

 **Meanwhile...**

A pair of tinted lenses poked out of the dense undergrowth. Peering through the binoculars was a man in combat fatigues and camouflage paint. An assault rifle hung by his side along with a belt of fragmentation grenades. The rest of his squad-six men in all-were equipped more or less the same way. The communications officer spoke into his radio. "This is Bravo team, checking in. We have eyes on target. Sending coordinates to your navigators now, over."

"This is Blackbird Leader, we've received. Hold position and await air support, over," came the crackly, static-laced reply.

"Copy that, Leader, over," the comms officer replied before severing the connection.

"Alright, air cavalry is en route, repeat, air cav is en route. We're on our own until then," the sergeant said, his voice barely a whisper. It wouldn't be good for them if the dragons discovered their position before their air power arrived. "Get that anti-tank rifle ready. When the choppers arrive they're going to need covering fire. Stay frosty, boys. We've been through worse than this."

This was standard operating procedure of the Hunter Killer death squads. First, send in the scouts to confirm the target's location and then call in the cavalry-twenty attack helicopters, armed to the teeth, with ground troops in support-to wipe them out. They'd been raiding dragon settlements for over a decade now with over a hundred successful missions on their record-they'd seen what the pilots of the HK were capable of. The sergeant knew those dragons didn't even have a prayer...

 **Author's Note:**

 **Well, where to start? This chapter's briefly touched on a couple of matters. First is the bit about Mandrake's powers. There are many kind of sorcerers out there, the same could be said about animus dragons. What kind of sorcerer do you think Mandrake's going to turn out as?**

 **The Talons of Freedom. The choice of name was deliberate, after all the SandWing War-era group must've got its name from somewhere, right? These are the original Talons-the insurgent group that existed way before the other group came along(my own little take on the origin of the name Talons of Peace) I'm leaving it deliberately unclear as to the extent of this group.  
**

 **As you've probably guessed from the elder's orders to shoot to kill RainWings here are actually using their venom for fighting. Please keep in mind that this is a very different Pyrrhia from what was seen in the first five books and RainWings here aren't necessarily as restrained as their original counterparts. But I have something planned to explain that too. What could possibly have happened to make RainWings so scared to use their natural defenses on other dragons? You'll see eventually...  
**

 **And finally the humans. As you can see here, they're on their way in force. Will a village of RainWings-dragons unafraid to use their venom to hurt even other dragons-be able to hold out against a full Hunter Killer death squad? This is where the action begins.**

 **Oh and by the way, I may have made a mess up earlier in the posting-I accidentally posted a Scarlet Untold Chapter in my excitement to get this up. So sorry for the inconvenience but it's fixed now XD**


	5. Chapter 5: Fire and Death

**Chapter 5: Fire and Death  
**

It was the fourth day since the departure of the MudWings and everything seemed to have gone back to normal. The village sentries were no longer on high alert and everyone seemed a lot more relaxed now.

Mandrake and the other dragonets had even been allowed to go outside to gather fruits that day. To them, it was an opportunity to get outside the stuffy confines of the village that they eagerly seized with both claws.

And so it was on that sweltering afternoon that they were roaming through the rainforest-racing to see who could get the most fruit before sundown. As far as Mandrake could tell, he was leading in the overall tally. In a way, he was glad-it helped to take his mind off the troubling events of the past days. What had those MudWings meant? Would ye scavengers dare attack a whole village of RainWings? Could they even find them? What did the dream mean with all of its fire and death? And the cave full of rattling bones and skulls?

He shook his head and forced those dark thoughts to one side and quickly swiped a mango which he'd spotted hanging from a tree, adding it to the armful of fruits he'd already managed to gather. He wouldn't be able to carry much more-he'd better head back to the gathering point to drop these off before going for another round.

He ducked and wove through the trees, adroitly avoiding branches as he went along. Eventually he reached the gathering site-a small clearing ringed by four vaulting trees. To his surprise, he found the other dragonets in a rather loose circle, relaxing and kicking back.

"Oh come on, guys!" Mandrake exclaimed, depositing the fruits on his already-mountainous pile. "You can't be serious? I thought you said it was a race?"

"It was a race," Glimmer said cheerfully. "We're just taking a break-that's all. You need to loosen up a bit."

"Fine," he snorted, deciding not to press his point. He sat down heavily beside Glimmer.

"Besides, with the amount you've been brought back, there's barely a reason for any of us to gather any more," Lemur said with a self-satisfied smirk. "We should do this more often-let Mandrake do all the heavy-lifting."

Mandrake scowled at him and Glimmer said, "Cut it out, Lemur." She patted Mandrake affectionately on the wing. "Next time we'll help. That's a promise."

Instantly, Mandrake felt himself relax. "Thanks," he told her. She winked at him while Lemur rolled his eyes behind them.

Suddenly, Rain's voice rang out. "Uhh, guys, is it just me or is that smoke coming from the village?" the small dragonet squeaked.

Minutes later...

Mandrake hurtled through the trees like a cannonball, dodging the occasional branch and obstructing liana, the others close behind him.

Why was there smoke? None of the RainWings could breathe fire and if there was no fire, why would there be smoke? Finally, they burst into the village and beheld a chilling sight.

The village was on fire. Dragons lay dead everywhere. Things that could only be described as flying killing machines hovered around, belching forth fiery death from oddly-shaped devices under their wings.

Fire and death, Mandrake realised with a jolt of terror. That's what the dream had meant! It had been a warning! A warning of the impending attack! And like a fool, he'd paid it no heed.

Mom! Dad! He suddenly remembered they were in the village too! He started forward, only to be tackled to the ground by Glimmer.

"What're you-" he shouted before she clamped a claw over his snout.

"Shh!" she told him forcefully. "They'll hear us!"

"But we have to help them!" Mandrake said urgently, his thoughts going to his mother and father who were no doubt still in the burning village.

"We can't help them," Glimmer said, sorrow clear in her eyes. "We'd only get ourselves killed. Look."

She pointed at one of the flying machines which was facing off with one of the sentries. The sentry reared back and sent a hour of venom at the machine. The evil-looking black liquid spattered harmlessly off the machine's armour and it answered with a swift blast from one of the tubular devices located underneath its wings.

Several small projectiles streaked towards the startled sentry, thin wisps of smoke marking their passage. They hit the dumbfounded sentry and erupted into small explosions that tore the RainWing to shreds-sending bits of flesh and bone in all directions.

Mandrake fought the urge to violently throw up and kept scanning around for his parents. Then he spotted his father! Dressed in his ceremonial battle armour, his father had rallied a group of RainWing sentries and they were charging a large group of the flying machines. Behind them, a group of RainWing villagers were making a run for it-the old and the young mainly.

A chill ran through Mandrake. He'd seen this happen in his dream except it wasn't his father he'd seen but Glimmer!

"No, Dad! Don't!" he screamed, barreling out of the bushes towards his father.

But it was too late. The old warrior had dived straight at one of the flying machines-an age-old hunting technique used by generations of RainWings before. The central idea was to come upon the prey from above so that the sun would be at your back and in your victim's eyes, blinding them and giving you the perfect opportunity to strike.

But then everything went wrong. Mandrake's father, with a valiant war cry, swooped towards the flying machine, claws extended. The moment he crashed against the machine's top, he howled in pain and blood and shredded flesh and scales were scattered in all directions. What nobody had realised was that the flying machines didn't fly like normal dragons-their wings were too rigid and small to be able to keep them in the air.

Instead, a razor-sharp blade oscillating at such high speeds that it was virtually impossible for the naked eye to see kept the machine aloft. And Mandrake's father had just thrown himself straight into the blade!

The stricken dragon barely had time to cry out as he crashed bodily into the whirring rotor blades. It was painful to watch and Mandrake averted his gaze as his father met a cruel demise. But he couldn't keep out the sounds and Mandrake felt hot tears spilling down his cheeks.

But his father's death was not in vain. For even as the old warrior perished, the blades became so entangled with the body that they jammed and stalled. The flying machine suddenly lurched in the air, spinning wildly out of control and spiraling madly towards the ground. It smashed into the forest floor, coming apart in a massive explosion of fire and shrapnel.

But there was little comfort there-even as the other RainWing warriors his father had led in that last charge met the similar, grisly fate, more flying machines whirred into the area. One of them fired what looked like a net over the other fleeing RainWings. They became entangled in the thick mesh and, though they struggled, the net held fast.

Several more of the flying machines-these larger than the ones Mandrake had seen earlier-each latched on to the net. Then, with gargantuan effort, the huge flying machines took off, towing the net and its cargo of screaming, writing captives.

Suddenly, there was a whirring sound before him and one of the machines rose before him. He knew he should've been afraid after seeing what they had done to the rest of the village but all he could feel was hatred. They'd killed his father. They'd probably killed his mother. Now they wished to kill him. He wasn't going to lie down quietly and die. He refused to let these things have the satisfaction of killing him too.

All his life, Mandrake had tried to suppress his powers out of the fear that the others in the village would call him outcast. But now, there wasn't even a village left. And no need to control it anymore.

Mandrake called upon his rage-the anguish at seeing his father's brutal demise. He felt the familiar rush of power-a roaring sound in his ears like the tide crashing against the shore. It was the same sensation he'd felt in the tomb. And this time, he didn't force it back down. No, this time, he let it go.

Pilot's POV

The pilot of the single-man attack chopper lined his craft up with the dragon. Poor, stupid beast just stood there. Hadn't it learned its lesson from the other ones? Perhaps not, after all, it was just another dumb animal to be exterminated. Only human beings had the capacity to learn. Just another reason they were at the top of the food chain in this land.

His finger closed around the trigger-feeling the molded grooves on the device that, at a single pull, would send half a dozen high-explosive rockets hurtling towards the dragon, spelling a fiery death for it. He almost felt sorry for the thing but he pushed the thought aside and prepared to end this.

Suddenly, his craft lurched, spinning wildly out of control. Something had hit his rotor blades and become entangled! He fought for control of the helicopter. I'm gonna die, his brain told him. I'm gonna die!

"Mayday, mayday," he said, words rolling off his tongue automatically. "Hunter-Two Four hit! I'm going down!"

In his concentration, fighting to keep the helicopter airborne, he failed to notice the claw looming in the cockpit canopy-even now reaching out to rend and tear him limb from limb.

Mandrake's POV

The corpse that had been lying nearby lurched and shuddered as Mandrake's powers flowed into it, jolting it back into horrifying undeath. Jerking and shaking like some kind of grotesque marionette, the carcass lunged at the flying machine.

Part of it was immediately snagged in the blades and torn to pieces but, in contrast to the other dragons who's died the same way, it didn't cry out, it didn't make a sound. Instead, it implacably reached for the the transparent canopy on the flying machine and ripped off the glass cockpit.

The small scavenger inside screamed as the claws of the undead dragon closed about him and pulled him from his seat. Then, with deliberate, cruel slowness, the undead RainWing brought the pilot up headfirst into the rotor blades. The scavenger screeched hysterically before being torn to a fine, bloody most by the blades. Then, the helicopter crashed and was enveloped in an ever-expanding fireball.

The mangled corpse-warrior pulled itself free of the blazing wreckage and limped over to where Mandrake stood, still burning. It bowed its head to him and stood waiting for fresh orders.

"Go," he said in a choked voice filled with agony, tears still streaming from his eyes. "Kill them all!"

The corpse warrior, with sickening glee, spun and scuttled off to do the necromancer's bidding. A shudder ran through Mandrake, his body suddenly feeling tired, his limbs like lead. Then, completely overwhelmed by the grief and the energy he'd expended, Mandrake the animus collapsed in a heap and darkness claimed him.

 **Author's Note:**

 **And so it begins. Wow upon the scavengers for this day they have made a terrifying new for. A dragon is one thing and is easily dealt with by their advanced weapons and technology. But a dragon necromancer is quite another thing altogether. And so the story of the Scouring begins.**

 **This chapter should answer some questions you might have had like what kind of animus Mandrake is. Things will be speeding up now and I intend to update this more frequently from now on. So stay tuned, how will Mandrake's friends react? Will they survive the coming storm? Will Mandrake lose his soul to the dark new powers that have made themselves manifest?  
**

 **Also, tell me what you thought of the chapter? Was it a little too violent? If it was, I'm sorry but this is war. Perhaps the Scouring may not have been so clean and bloodless as one might've thought... But read on, for there is far more to come...**

 **Minecraft-Well, it's dragons we're talking about here. Naturally, the humans wish to be a little bit more cautious than is conventional.**

 **Glorybringer-Why, thank you:) But I'm sorry to inform you that I don't quite read Warriors. I intend to pick it up eventually but not for now.**

 **Spicydog-None of the tribes here are quite united yet. And the land doesn't even have a common name yet-though I plan to explain why it was named Pyrrhia eventually. As mentioned, the scavengers are the apex species in the land for now though that may change soon… And yes, in a fair helicopter vs dragon fight, the dragons do have the short straw though that too may change…**


	6. Chapter 6: Port Mortem

**Chapter 6: Post Mortem  
**

Mandrake awoke with a terrible migraine. His head was pounding like a bass drum and his mouth felt like a desert. He tried to sit up but his limbs were like lead-absolutely refusing to budge. What in three moons could he have done before to make waking up feel so bad? 

He tried to look around. He stared up at the trees above. A glint of sunlight was poking through the canopy. The rainforest... 

Then it all came back to him. The attack. The flying machines. The corpse creature he had raised from beyond the grave. A chill ran through him just thinking about the vacant look in its dead eyes, the perverse glee with which it had carried out his last command. 

He groaned as the gruesome images flashed before his eyes-the burning village, the dragons who's been killed-dragons he had known, his own parents among them-and those who had been dragged away by the scavengers. 

Who knew what horrible fate awaited them? What did the scavengers want with the dragons? Why had they attacked the village? What had they done to provoke all this violence? The unanswered questions buzzed around in Mandrake's mind, adding to the anarchic noise. 

And the worst of all was the emptiness he now felt-some kind of terrible hangover from using his powers as he did previously. He felt as if his insides had been scraped out and then hastily jammed back in before spilling out again, leaving him nothing but a hollow husk of a dragon-just like the mangled corpse he had resurrected. 

"Is he going to be okay?" he heard Glimmer asking from not far away. 

"I'm not sure," another dragon with a deeper voice said. Mandrake recognized it as the female MudWing from earlier, Brook. "I've never seen anything like this in my life." 

A jolt of panic suddenly seized Mandrake. Never seen anything like it before? What were they talking about? Had he been maimed of crippled in some way while he was out cold? But there was no pain, in fact, there wasn't any feeling at all! He tried to sit up but his body refused to obey him. So instead he settled for feeling his way around his body with his claw. Everything seemed to be in place... 

"Him? Okay?" Lemur's incredulous voice came. "He'll be fine. We all know what Mandrake's like-nothing's ever able to get him down-not even me." 

Thanks, for the vote of confidence, Lemur, he thought wanly. Though that's a first. 

"I'm scared," Rain said, her voice faltering. "What did he do just now? What was that thing?" 

"I don't know," the other MudWing's-Reed's-voice said. "That thing he sent after the scavengers, it wasn't natural-the way it kept chasing them, the way it just wouldn't die." 

"I've never seen a dragon take so many hits and still keep going like that," Brook added. "I wouldn't be surprised if it's still chasing them now though-it didn't even stop when it's head was blown off." 

Mandrake groaned miserably. The last thing he wanted was to recall the mangled corpse that he'd turned into a weapon. His very own killer-puppet. 

Reed noticed. "He's stirring," he told Brook. "You'd better look in on him to make sure he's okay." 

The large MudWing walked over to where Mandrake lay. She looked him over critically. 

"So you're awake," she said grimly. "How are you feeling? Anything out of place?" 

I've been awake for the past few minutes if you hadn't noticed, Mandrake thought. But he decided to keep those sentiments to himself. "Everything on the outside seems alright," he said hoarsely, neglecting to mention the hollowness that even now ate away at him inside. 

"Can you stand?" she asked. 

Mandrake nodded stiffly and she helped him to his feet. 

"You'd best eat something," she said. "You're so thin, I can almost see your bones." 

Mandrake wasn't hungry so much as he was tired and numb all over. Mutely, he accepted the fruit they offered him, not even once taking a single bite. His eyes just stared blankly from their sockets, his face gaunt and drawn. 

Glimmer was looking concernedly at him. Lemur and Rain regarded him with a kind of curious caution, as if trying to figure out whether he really was the Mandrake they'd known all these years while Brook was off to one side, scavenging through a pile of supplies. The other MudWing, though, his eyes were crafty. He was looking the RainWing up and down, as if sizing him up. Mandrake simply gazed away detachedly. 

Finally, Reed spoke up. "I can't imagine what you dragonets are going though right now. I was already an adult when the scavengers did this to my village. It felt horrible. It's probably worse for you." 

"You see, this is why I joined the Talons of Freedom in their fight," he continued, a fire in his eyes. "This is why they fight. They want to create a land free of the scavengers-a land where dragonets can be safe, where villages won't be burned to the ground every day, where all this bloodshed and strife can finally come to an end. Tomorrow, Brook and I are setting off to rendezvous with the others. And I would ask you to come with us. To join the war for freedom, for liberty. What say you?" 

"Hey, hey, whoah, wait up a second," Lemur said hastily. "We're just dragonets-we can't fight, we don't know a thing about wars and fighting." 

"You don't need to know much to kill a scavenger," Brook said, still rifling through the pile of supplies. "They're weaker and slower and poorer at hiding than most other prey. One good cut and it's over." 

"And what about those flying death-machines?" Lemur asked stubbornly. "They didn't seem weaker or slower to me at all!" 

"We're still working on a way to bring those down," Brook admitted grudgingly. "But we'll find one eventually." 

Lemur was about to protest but Glimmer spoke up. "Enough, Lemur," she said. "What've we got to lose anyway? Everything we knew, everything we cared about-it was all burned to the ground with the village." 

Turning to Reed, she said, "We'll go. But we have to make sure Drake's okay to travel. I'm not going anywhere until he's fit enough to fly." 

"I'm alright," Mandrake said finally. "Just a little drained that's all." He was lying from between his teeth but he didn't care. The sooner his friends were with other dragons, the better-safety in numbers. 

"Are you sure?" Glimmer asked. "You look really pale-your scales are all dull." 

He looked down at his scales. They were all a dull shade of grey. He tried to force some colour into them, managing a tinge of lime. "Better?" he asked weakly. Glimmer touched her talon to his and that was the only answer he really needed. 

"Neat trick back there," Reed remarked. "The scavengers lost half their number thanks to the thing you created back there. But some explanations may be in order. How you did it, for instance?" 

Glimmer looked worriedly at Mandrake. She knew but the others didn't. How would they react if they found out? 

"It's okay, Glimmer," Mandrake said. "They all saw what I did. Maybe explaining it all to them will put their minds to rest." 

"Turns out I'm something called an animus," Mandrake said, loud enough to be heard by everyone. "I only learned what that was recently when Glimmer showed me a scroll about the whole thing. It said something about how an animus is supposed to have amazing powers though mine seem more repulsive than anything." 

"Apparently I can do things other dragons can't," he continued, deliberately leaving out the part about losing his soul. "But I'm still the same dragon you grew up with. I haven't sprouted four arms or an extra head or anything. I hope this doesn't change anything between us." 

Rain still looked slightly apprehensive but Reed nodded as if things finally were beginning to make sense. "That's what I suspected," the MudWing said. "Turns out that the Talons have an animus dragon on their side too." 

Mandrake's eyes lit up at that. "They do?" Maybe he can tell me how to control it, he thought. 

"Yes," Reed confirmed. "I've never met him face to face but I've heard the tales of his exploits. A dragon of great power-our greatest asset in the war. They say he can destroy entire armies on his own, turn the tides of battles single-handedly, heal the most grievous of wounds in mere moments. But I've never heard of him being capable of what you did." 

"Where can I find him?" Mandrake asked, feeling hopeful for the first time since the attack. 

"I don't know." The answer came as quite the dampener. "But I do know it's now more important than ever to get you to the Talons. A second animus on our side could possibly swing the tides of this war in our favour. We'll set out later tonight-give you dragonets time to gather your strength." 

Meanwhile... 

"Six attack choppers? What in the world did you find in that rainforest?" 

"The King of Hell as far as we could tell," Commander Delgado told General Kyne. "It just kept coming, shrugging off enough missiles and gunfire to kill several dragons twice over. It only stopped when we managed to blow it to tiny bits and pieces. By then it had already killed six of the pilots." 

The General frowned. "Rest their souls," he murmured solemnly. 

"There's more," Delgado said. "That thing was protecting a group of dragons that escaped the initial roundup. Three or four of them if thermal imaging was right." 

"A group of dragons?" another voice asked. A man in a white lab coat stepped into the room. 

"Not now, Dr Stephano," the General said, passing a weary hand over his eyes. 

"No, General, this will not wait," the doctor said persistently. "If the dragons have developed a new weapon, we need to know about it now." 

"Developed? New weapon?" the General asked with a mocking laugh. "They're animals! Dumb bloody animals! You make them sound like they're actually intelligent enough to think like us." 

"They are! Or at least that's what the evidence points to," the doctor protested. "We warned you that they're getting smarter. But you ignored it all and last week they lured away the defending garrison of an outlying town and razed it to the ground while they were gone. You heard what that thing did. Six pilots? We haven't suffered such tragic losses since we first subjugated this land. If you neglect this too, more men will die and it'll be all on you!" 

That accusation cut particularly deep. "Fine," the General said grudgingly. "Delgado, get Nikolai. Tell him I want to see him here in five." 

"On it sir," Delgado said, saluting as he left the room. In spite of all that had happened in the last 24 hours, Delgado couldn't help but feel slightly sorry for the dragons. The General must've been pretty ticked off if he wanted to send Nikolai after them. Those dragons might just be dumb bloody animals but even they didn't deserve what was coming to them... 

**Author's Note:  
**

**Hey guys, sorry for the long break in writing. I'm glad to say this story is finally back on track! Took me a while to iron out all the details but I've finally got a clear course plotted for this tale. So do tell me how you're finding it so far! I'd appreciate all the feedback I can get!  
**

**And so the dragonets set out to find the Talons of Freedom. At the same time, the scavengers mobilize their forces to go after them. The chase is on! Only time will tell who will prevail. Throw an animus into the equation and things get interesting. Now there are two, it's a recipe for disaster.**


	7. Chapter 7: Intercepted

**Chapter 7: Intercepted  
**

When Mandrake was well enough to keep his feet under himself, they began their journey. They travelled by night and hid and rested by day, walking instead of flying to avoid detection by human aircraft. Being RainWings, Mandrake and the others found that they actually preferred the routine of sleeping through the daylight hours-it left them feeling energized and ready for the next leg of their trip. 

It wasn't long before they were out of the rainforest. Mandrake had heard stories about the other lands in Pyrrhia but he'd never truly been able to picture them. Sprawling mountains, cities beneath the ocean, countries so devoid of life that the sand was the only thing that moved-these were all things he could only wonder about, having never really seen them. 

For now, they were crossing through some very muddy swamplands. The MudWings seemed happy enough to be back in their natural environment-they were more relaxed and less jumpy. The RainWings however, did not share their enthusiasm. 

The grime kept getting stuck in between their claws and scales, causing a niggling sense of discomfort as the day wore on. Mandrake's persistent exhaustion kept his attention away from it but Glimmer, Lemur and Rain were constantly trying to scrape it out whenever they had the chance. 

They'd all had mud in the rainforest but it had only been during and after heavy rainfall, after which, they'd be free to try and clean themselves. There had never been this much for them to deal with. 

It was daybreak now and the rays of the sun were just beginning to poke through the mangrove trees. 

"We'll stop here," Reed announced. "I'll get dinner ready and then we should all get some shuteye. We've been traveling hard and we're making good progress. I estimate we'll be at the main Talons encampment by week's end." 

"Where is the main Talons encampment?" Rain asked. "Wouldn't it be really difficult for a large group of dragons to stay hidden?" 

"Not exactly," Reed said as he distributed the dried meat from his satchel. "This land's a big place. The scavengers have no idea where to start looking. And the encampment is very well hidden-high up in the mountains where they never venture. Makes all the negotiations we did with the SkyWings almost seem worth it." 

"SkyWings?" Glimmer repeated. "What are they like? They sound like they gave you quite a hard time." 

"They did," Reed said with a huff. "They're a proud group of warriors bound by honor and tradition. A really stuffy bunch honestly. When we came to them seeking a place to establish a base of operations, they refused to even meet with us. It was only when we stumbled upon one of their hidden settlements that they sent an envoy to treat with us." 

"Though he really didn't treat with us so much as he turned us down flat. Said it was against their ways to let non-SkyWings set foot on their mountains. We had to promise them massive amounts of food and supplies and that we'd build our encampment a goodly distance away from anywhere they marked out as forbidden." 

Mandrake listened absently to the conversation. His mind wandered elsewhere. There was an odd sound in the air. He tried to focus on it, to tune out the other noises in the swamp; the insects, the birds, the sloshing of the mud. 

Whup, whup, whup, whup- 

Why did it sound so eerily familiar? Where had he heard it before? 

Whup, whup, whup, whup- 

And why did it leave him feeling suddenly very scared? 

Whup, whup, whup, whup- 

Mandrake's eyes widened. He had hear it before! It was the same thumping sound that he'd heard when the flying machines had attacked his village! Helicopters,Reed had said. 

He was about to shout a warning when a missile streaked into the clearing, the scream of its passage deafening all around. Reed saw it in time and lunged at it, claws extended as if to catch the deadly weapon. Dragon and missile collided in a spectacular detonation that sent Glimmer, Brook, Lemur and Rain sprawling. 

Mandrake was sitting far enough from the explosion to have escaped relatively unscathed. He scanned the surrounding area. Indeed, a squadron of six helicopters were hovering like a menacing swarm just over the treetops. The inky black contrail left by the missile's passing identified the attack chopper that had fired. 

He mustered his already-taxed strength and uprooted a tree from the ground. He sent it spinning and corkscrewing wildly towards the offending helicopter. The chopper rose just in time to avoid the projectile which arced toward the ground. 

But it suddenly stopped falling. Mandrake reached out to it, halting it and reversing its trajectory. The tree, like a spear, rocketed upwards at terminal velocity, impaling the attack helicopter straight through its fuselage. The helicopter came apart in a massive explosion and shrapnel shot outwards in all directions. 

There was a sickening crunch as the dying copter's rotor blade spiraled uncontrollably into another chopper that had been too late to escape. Both rotor blades became caught up and the helicopter rapidly lost altitude, smashing into the ground and bursting apart into a ball of fire. 

But this spectacle of destruction wasn't without cost. Mandrake clutched at his chest with a claw. It felt like something, or several somethings had stabbed and lacerated his insides. His rib cage felt like it had shrunk by several times and was now pressing into his lungs and heart. He staggered, dizzy and nauseous. 

One of the helicopters launched a missile at him. In too much pain to evade it, he could only stand there as the missile hit the ground before him, blasting him away in a shower of fire, mud and shrapnel. 

He landed in a heap in a shallow puddle, claws scrabbling against the sides of his head. There was an agonizing ringing sound in his ears. He lay there, the pain making him wish for death. Weakly, he forced himself to look up. 

His friends lay unmoving-whether unconscious or dead, he did not know. He saw two helicopters close in on Brook but the MudWing dove into a deceptively deep bog pit. The helicopters' cannons hammered out a brutal, deafening staccato and the surface of the bog pit erupted as the high caliber shells hit home. 

Mandrake watched breathlessly for any signs of life. But there was nothing. Not a single bubble or sign of Brook... The helicopters hovered there for a few moments. Then, satisfied that their work was done, they turned away. 

A deafening roar caught his attention. Reed was cornered by the remaining helicopters. He was badly injured-his wings were shredded and his body was covered in bloody gashes. And still he fought on, bellowing, trying to pounce at the helicopters. 

They simply stayed out of reach and kept their guns trained on Reed. One of the helicopters that had killed Brook landed. It's pilot hopped out of the canopy as it opened. He and Reed exchanged a cold stare. 

The scavenger made a strange gesture with its arm-a waving motion. It was almost as if it was telling Reed to go. 

Reed took an uncertain step backwards, his eyes still fixed on the helicopters. One of the flying machines made a threatening advance but the scavenger held out its hand to halt it. Again he waved Reed away. 

The MudWing shot a helpless look at Mandrake and the others. It was as if he was considering how to save them too. There was no way he could do it. He'd only get himself killed trying especially with his wounds. They locked eyes and Mandrake weakly managed to shake his head. 

"I'll come back for you. I'll find help and we'll get you out! I promise!" Reed called. Then, he turned and dove into the undergrowth as fast as he could. 

But the small scavenger wasn't done. He barked something and all three remaining helicopters flew forward in hot pursuit of Reed. 

Mandrake heard Reed yelp in surprise. There was gunfire and screaming. Reed's howls of agony rose into the sky as the helicopters' rapid fire cannons cruelly cut him apart piece by piece. It felt like an eternity before his death throes faded into echoes... 

The scavenger looked on, laughing callously. Mandrake's stomach twisted in disgust. Why? Why were they doing this? What had the dragons ever done to deserve this genocide? 

He tried to hold onto consciousness, to try to drag himself away from the horror of all of it. But his strength waned and he sunk into unconsciousness as a heavy net fell over him. And then there was silence. 

Meanwhile... 

Commander Nikolai stood, a smirk plastered on his wide face. He was large by human standards-a massive hulk of a man. His pilot suit had been custom-tailored to fit his huge frame. He shook his unkempt mane of pale gold hair and icy blue eyes glared as he removed his visored helmet. 

Four captures and two kills to add to his record. To be brutally honest, he'd have rather killed the other four too but the General had asked for them to be taken alive. The eggheads at the lab wanted them for study. Already he had been taking liberties by killing the other two. 

But that could be justified to his superiors, he reasoned. One would've escaped had he not acted and the other was too injured to be of much use. Can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs. 

Still, he could possible have a chance at killing these dragons too. After all, he didn't have to hand them in to the scientists. He could just give them any regular dragons and they'd scarcely know the difference. It probably wouldn't even matter to them as long as they had something to dissect. 

But it mattered to him. These dragons, if what he'd been told was true, had killed six pilots earlier. They'd killed two of his best men right before his eyes. They'd earned his wrath by that measure. And now he was determined to make sure they suffered for it. 

"Change of plans," he told his pilots in a rumbling baritone. "Those damn nerds won't be getting their lab rats today. I've got something else in mind for these animals. Move out!" 

He looked contemptuously at the slumbering dragons and remarked, "Welcome to Hell." 

**Author's Note:**

 **And so things take a turn for the worse. What plans does Commander Nikolai have in store for them? How long can they survive?  
**

 **So tell me how you found the chapter? How were the characters and how are you finding the story's far? Thanks for reading!**

 **Spicydog-Never thought of it as a Jedi-Padawan relationship but now that you bring it up, it does seem like it would be appropriate. May the Force be with you XD And looks like you were right abt Jolly old Nikolai XD Nothing but trouble XD**

 **Prryhian Emperor-Well to be honest I haven't actually read your story at all. No offence intended but I really haven't had much time to read lately. But from what you say, you sound like you're focusing more on the aspects of an actual war. This story doesn't quite share the same focus-instead it's a take on how the Scorching played out and the reasons why the tribes are what they are in modern Pyrrhia-like why the RainWings are pacifists and why everyone thinks they're lazy and useless, etc. Stay tuned to find out more!  
**

 **MCZ-What makes you think Nikolai is Soviet?XD**

 **frazzle-thanks:) words of encouragement are greatly appreciated**

 **perfectlyclearly-Glad you do. And count on it :D**


	8. Temporary Notice

Temporary Notice:

Hey guys, I just wanted to give you guys all a heads up that for the period of this month, I'm not likely to be able to write or upload as I'm going to be busy with university entry interviews and tests and army stuff. I'm really sorry you guys have had to wait so long for an update.

But I promise that once this is all over, I'll get back to writing and updating regularly. Hopefully my schedule will have cleared up once the month is out! Seeking your patience and understanding during this rather busy time. Thanks to one and all!

-the Marine


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